Business Management Internship Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at Airbus. The freedom of the working hours makes it ideal for anyone who has never had a full time job and allows you to integrate into the work schedule. A bonus of the company is Flexi time (weekly) and also half days on a Friday. This helps the end of the week feel like a well deserved rest!

My colleagues were very good at helping me integrate into the team. I felt like I was a valuable team member from Day 0. I was given a lot of responsibility from only a few days in and I was trusted with some very important jobs. My colleagues always made me feel like a valuable part of the team I was in. I've had some of my best days with my colleagues.

All of the placement managers were very supportive and helpful, even if you didn't directly report to them. I always felt like I could approach my manager and ask for support and guidance on tasks that I needed extra support with. This helped me develop in management for myself in the future and by the end of the placement, I was fully capable of doing anything.

At Airbus, there is always something going on. There was never a day where I had nothing to do. I had ongoing jobs with long lead times but I also had a lot of day-to-day tasks that would take less than an hour to complete but must be effectively time managed. I found that the work balance was very good. I had lots to do but as long as I managed my time effectively, I wouldn't be running around, panicking!

From Day 0, the responsibilities were handed over. I had a lot fo financial control, procurement and management to oversee. The team I was apart of was very diverse in the jobs that we did. This was very good for my personal development as I was trained in many different disciplines that are transferable to future jobs.

Airbus provided me with online training with certificates. I will be able to bring these certifications into my CV and show employers that I have training in important and necessary topics such as "GDPR" and "Recognising and Preventing Fraud" and a handful of others. My soft skills have also developed considerably. I am now and effective communicator and a great team worker. These skills have been developed because I have been given responsibilities to lead teams and to liaise with suppliers and customers.

My office was a good mix of professional and sociable. Work was always completed but it was nice to be able to talk to everyone in the room and also have a relaxed environment to do so. Everyone in the office was friendly and treated everyone with respect. If people needed a bit of quiet then others would respect this.

Overall, the placement team at Airbus did a very good job of organising the placements. I do feel however, that I would like to see an 'orientation' week at the start of the placement. I feel this would help get to know everyone beforehand. I didn't have any issues when I arrived. The documents had all been processed and they only needed a photo for our ID badges. These were done within 2 hours on the first day. Very impressed.

Airbus had lots of training and development available. It was easily accessed from an online system, and you could book onto courses at the site you were based on. This only required authorisation from your manager. The company would pay for this training and it was always very comprehensive and was finished with a certificate award.

Airbus offer a fantastic graduate scheme and their variety of job roles means that there will always be job for someone. Airbus are constantly expanding and new jobs are being formed from this expansion. Future employment prospects from Airbus are looking good. I will be looking to work there again. Their work benefits are exceptional.

Airbus have a social group for apprentices, placement and graduate employees called GenA. This group is run by placement/graduate students and it aims to bring together the younger generation of employees. They go out to the local bars together. It is a very good social experience and makes you feel comfortable when starting the job.

The area of Chester is reasonable priced. The houses are very good value for money.

The nightlife in Chester is fantastic. There is a good mix of nightclubs, bars and also more tasteful venues.

I found there were a few opportunities but I was never involved so I cannot comment on how good they are!